Fond du Lac Reservation
Fond du Lac Reservation has seen some success in deploying better broadband in the last year. They went from almost 20 percent access to speeds of 100 Mbps down and 20 up to 66 percent; and access to 25/3 Mbps went from almost 31 percent to almost 84.
Fond du Lac has been working on better broadband since 2006, often while working with the Blandin Foundation on programs to improve broadband use. In 2018, they set out to provide fiber-to-home (FTTH) to more than 1,800 homes, and anyone who lives in the network’s roughly 120-square mile service area, by 2020 — both band members and non-members alike using funding from the USDA. (There are 1530 households on Fond du Lac, according to 2010 Census.) The network went live in 2019 and continues to expand.
In 2020, the Band received a $602,916 MN Border to Border grant to help upgrade its infrastructure to serve 37 new households and 99 underserved customers, including properties on the reservation, western Cloquet and Perch Lake Township. That deployment would not yet be reflected in the maps or data on the reservation.
The tribe is making continuous investment and improvement on the broadband network with a focus on FTTH.
Household Density
.1
Has Worked with Blandin Foundation
Yes
Has Received MN Grant(s)
Yes
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa – Brookston Project – GRANT $258,265
This last mile project will serve up to 108 unserved homes, 8 unserved businesses, and 1 community anchor institution in a project area in the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation in northeastern Minnesota. This area also includes the town of Brookston. A funding partnership with the State of Minnesota and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps down and 1 Gbps up, exceeding the 2026 state speed goals. It will also add needed additional network redundancy for the Fond du Lac Reservation. The fiber-to-the-home network will open up many opportunities such as telemedicine, Home Health Care, and improved and secure electronic health records; and online education and improved business development and more. All these factors will assist in creating a more vibrant community and region.
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa – Big Lake Road Project – GRANT $602,916
This last mile project will upgrade approximately 37 unserved and 99 underserved locations in
a portion of Carlton County located within the boundaries of the Fond du Lac Reservation, including the western part of the City of Cloquet and Perch Lake Township. In a funding partnership with the State of Minnesota, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will improve broadband service levels up to 1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload, meeting or exceeding the 2022 and 2026 state speed goals. By building a fiber to the home network, faster internet speeds will open up many opportunities such as telemedicine, home health care, electronic health records, online schooling, business development and more. All of these factors will assist in creating a more vibrant community and region.